Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
71731-4
~ ~ 2001893
This invention relates to protective devices and, in
particular, to knee pads.
Protective devices for the knees and shins of the
human body have been known for many years. The patella or
kneecap and the upper shin area are particularly vulnerable to
damage. Rnee pads of varying types have been devised for use
in sports, domestic housework and for industrial applications.
By far the most important applications are those for industrial
use where workmen or technicians are required to spend a great
deal of time on their knees in particularly rough areas such as
on roofs or in boilers or other places where it is necesary to
kneel constantly.
One of the greatest sources of injury occurs when a
workman falls to his knees and the impact of the fall is
transmitted directly to the protruding patella. Even with
protective gear, the patella can be damaged through this type
of fall.
~umerous attempts have been made to cushion such a
fall, all of which have been less than satisfactory. For
instance, pneumatic type air bladders or cushions are blown up
and inserted within a protective device. These are partiucarly
bulky, however, and are often damaged by sharp objects. Such a
device is disclosed in U.S. Patent 3,965,486 (Lightbody) which
has an inflatable flexible body portion divided into first and
second chambers and uses a multiplicity of flexible-spaced
hollow fingers which are inflatable. Similarly, U.S. Patent
- 1- ~k
71731-4
Z0~18~3
2,368,433 (Terry) also discloses and claims a pneumatic
removable cushioning air bladder which when in use is placed
into a canvas pocket strapped to the leg.
All of these devices are somewhat cumbersome and are
not particularly adapted for protection of the patella and
upper shin.
It is therefore an object of this invention to
provide a simple, inexpensive, lightweight protective knee
pad .
It is a further object of this invention to provide a
knee pad which is equipped with air cushioning areas which are
not of the pneumatic or bladder type.
Therefore this invention seeks to provide a knee
protector pad adapted for use in the industrial workplace
comprising a one-piece resilient, flexible polyurethane foam
pad and an ad~ustable strap which is adapted to encircle the
calf and thereby f ixedly securing the pad to the wearer ' 8 leg;
said pad including a concave upper portion with a
rounded front end and an open, squared rear end;
said upper portion is adapted to receive the knee and
upper portion of the shin;
said pad further comprising a lower U-shaped sole
with a rounded front and a squared back;
said sole including an integrally molded transverse
bar; said bar defining a front semi-circular cavity and a rear
rectangular cavity;
-- 2 --
71731-4 ~ ~
2001893
said front cavity being located immediately beneath
the patella of the wearer when the pad iB in an operating
position and said transverse bar supporting a portion of the
shin immediately below said patella;
whereby said cavities are adapted to entrap air when
the wearer i9 in the kneeling position thereby providing a
cushioning effect.
The device of the present invention consists of a
one-piece molded resilient flexible polyurethane foam. It has
an upper concave portion which is adapted to receive the knee
cap and upper front shin portion of the leg. The front is
rounded to correctly fit the cap. The rear part of the upper
concave portion is open 80 that the lower leg e~tends
therefrom. The upper concave portion iB raised 80 that no
other portion of the leg comes in contact with the ground other
than the f oot .
The lower portion consists of a U-shaped sole similar
in design to a horsehoe but having a transverse bar across the
middle and an additional transverse bar forming the rear of the
sole. The transverse bar defines two cavities within the sole,
a front forward semi-circular cavity and a rear rectangular
cavity. A strap enters the rear cavity through the one side of
the sole and exits the opposite side of the rear cavity through
other side of the sole, and thereafter encircles the upper
concave portion in order that it can be fastened around the
calf of the wearer.
-- 3 --
71731-4
~ ~ 20~1~93
The particular design of the cavities within the flat
U-shaped sole are used to entrap air when the wearer is in the
kneeling position. The weight of the wearer is transmitted to
the U-shaped sole which is located below the circumference of
the knee. Therefore only the less delicate outer extremities
of the knee region are in direct contact with the ground by
means of the sole and middlè transverse bar. The front cavity
is located directly beneath the patella of the wearer which
protrudes slightly from the leg. The transverse bar is adapted
to lie immediately beneath that portion of the upper shin which
lies adjacent the patella. The rear cavity protects the
r~ ; nfq~r of the upper shin .
Because of the unique air entrapping cavities, the
wearer may fall several feet landing directly upon the knee in
the kneeling position without doing any harm to the sensitive
areas of the upper shin and the patella.
The strap is positioned such that when it is around
the calf of the wearer it does not cause undue wear in the fold
of the wearer ' s leg between the upper and lower leg . This is
particularly important when the pad is used for long periods of
time .
The invention will be more fully desribed in
conjunction with the following drawings wherein:
Figure 1 i~ a bottom view of the knee pad;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-section of the knee
pad;
Figure 3 is a transverse cross-section of the knee
pad; and
-- 4 --
71731-4
` ~ 200~893
Figure 4 i8 a perspective view of the knee pad.
In Figure 1, the knee pad is shown with a sole ( 1 ) .
The sole is U-shaped, having a rounded front and straight
sides. A transverse bar (3) connects the two sides of the
sole (1) thereby defining a front semi-circular cavity (6) and
a rear rectangular cavity (7)- Another transverse bar (10)
connects the two sides of the sole (1) at the rear portion of
the knee pad. Slits ( 4) are cut through the two sides of the
sole to allow the strap to traverse the rear rectangular cavity
(7). The upper portion of the knee pad comprises upper
walls (2) which extend upwardly and outwardly from the
sole ( 1 ) . There is no rear upper wall as the leg must extend
outwardly and rearwardly from the knee pad. The front portion
of upper wall (2) shown as (8) is rounded.
When the knee pad which is the subject of the
invention is on a flat surface, air is entrapped in front
semi-circular cavity (6) and rear rectangular cavity (7)
thereby providing a cushion when weight is placed on the pad.
The upper walls ( 2) are formed with a concave inner
surface. This is adapted to receive the patella and the upper
portion of the shin of the leg. The patella which protrudes
slightly from the leg is adapted to fit in or near portion
( 11) . One notes t~at this is directly above front
semi-circular cavity ( 6 ) . A portion of the leg immediately
behind the patella fits in area (12) and is supported by the
transverse bar ( 3 ) . The remainder of the concave cavity in the
top of the pad shown as (13) is adapted to receive the upper
-- 5 --
200~893 71731-4
part of the shin. The concave cavity is raised off the ground
~ufficiently 80 that the r~ ~n~ r of the leg does not contact
the ground when the wearer is in the kneeling position. Figure
2 is a transverse croas-section along the lines II-II of
Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the knee pad which
is the subject of the invention showing the concave upper
portions (11), (12) and (13) adapted to receive the Xnee cap
and shin. The strap ( 9) which passes through the strap
passageways (4) protrudes upwardly around the upper sidewalls
( 2) and is adapted to fasten about the calf of the wearer .
